Jurisdictional Dispute

Conflicting claims made by two different labor unions to an employer regarding assignment of the work or union representation.

Two basic types of controversies ordinarily arise in such disputes. There can be a disagreement concerning whether certain work should be done by workers in one union or another. For example, there might be a dispute between employees in a carpenters' union and a glaziers' union concerning who should install frames for windows in an apartment building. When this type of dispute arises, there must exist evidence of a threat of coercive action in order for the national labor relations board (NLRB) to intervene by conducting a hearing and making an assignment of the work.

A jurisdictional dispute might also arise concerning which union should represent employees who are performing a particular type of work.